Notes: Annnnnnnnnnd we're back. Issues might have been resolved? Not sure. But writing Masked Rider Ghost and the overwhelming support BladeofHope1991 has given me as helped me work though the chapter. I don't know if AmazonZ is going to have a regular release schedule or not, but we should pick up speed. Especially since the next chapter is one I've been looking forward to writing since I came up with the idea months ago.

This week we deal with a massive amount of guilt and depression. And backstory.

Opening: "Armour Zone" by Taro Kobayashi]

[Closing: "Beautiful World (Plantib Acoustica Mix)" by Utada Hikaru]

Disclaimer: Kamen Rider Amazon and Kamen Rider Amazons is owned by Toei. Original characters are owned by yours truly.

Kefálaio XIV: Enochí

Heather sat by Eric's bedside as he slept. His wounds had healed, but there was now a scar down the left side of his face. His glasses were destroyed as well. Mamoru was outside, talking to Mauricio to see if he could help. Heather's hands were clasped in her lap and she was biting her lower lip. Please be okay. she thought. She could hear Mamoru hanging up the phone and he came into Eric's bedroom.

"Mauricio-sama said that he can't help. He's too busy with work." Mamoru said, sounding defeated. "Gavin-sama can't help either."

Heather wiped her face with her hands and walked towards the door. "I'm going to call Sigma. Watch Eric." Heather said forcefully, pulling out her phone. She didn't even look at Mamoru as she left, not seeing Mamoru's nod of acknowledgement. Heather scrolled through her phone till she reached Sigma's number and called it. She walked down the staircase and into the kitchen, leaning up against the wall and crossing her arms. After a few moments, Sigma's voice chimed on the other line.

"What is it, Alp?" he said in a stoic monotone.

"Eric is not okay. He got hit by a Beastman attack. It was a Mushroom Beastman and I guess it caused him to see something. But he's really fucked up." she said, holding back a breakdown. "He hurt himself badly and we're not sure if he'll recover."

"I can't do anything about that." Sigma responded coldly.

"Why not? You knocked me out of my depression." Heather snapped.

"I did that by proving to you that you had an ally. This is different. I'm not sure what he saw and I don't know if I could help here." Sigma responded, not losing his composure in any capacity. Heather found this irritating.

"He is your KING!" Heather shouted. "You will help him! That's what you were made for, right!?" she bellowed.

"I thought we were fighting against preordained destiny." Sigma responded, sounding shocked and hurt. Heather realized what she had done. She has basically told him to give into Geddon's plan. At this point, Heather could hold back her tears and fell to the floor, crying. After a few minutes, Heather started to calm down. She looked at her phone to see that Sigma was still on the line.

"I'm sorry, Siggy." she said. "I just don't know what to do."

"I understand." he said calmly. "I would ask him what he saw and try to go from there."

"Alright." Heather said, wiping her face. "I'll try that."

"Hey, Alp. I'm a bit busy right now. So I'll let you go. Text me what happens, okay?" Sigma said, clearly concerned.

"Okay. I will." she said weakly.

"Bye." Sigma said, hanging up the phone on his end. Heather sighed and let her head fall back to rest against the wall, sitting in the dark by herself.

Dobsonfly Beastman sat across from Mayor Poll in her darkly lit office. He was looking very smug and popped a mint into his mouth from her bowl of mints on her desk.

"It appears Omega is out of the picture." he said. "Mushroom Beastman messed him up pretty badly. I'm not sure what he saw, but it was enough for him to start violently bashing in his own head." Dobsonfly Beastman smirked and leaned back in the chair, letting his arms flop on the arm rests.

"Excellent. The Amazon Project has clearly failed miserably, so eliminating the Amazons is probably the best thing for Geddon." Mayor Poll responded, not looking up from the documents she was signing.

"Once Gorgos is revived, we don't really need them anyways, right? The Amazons were basically a contingency for leadership." Dobsonfly Beastman said.

"Are you familar with what happened in the Amazon Rainforest in 1974, Dobsonfly Beastman?" Mayor Poll asked.

"Not especially." he responded.

"That was where Gorgos was first summoned. However, he was defeated by a creature who was from the Amazon. The Amazon Project was Geddon's attempt to recreate that creature." she said, looking up at Dobsonfly Beastman.

"I see. If something was strong enough to kill Gorgos, having that as a weapon would be beneficial. But then why tell them that they are special?" Dobsonfly Beastman asked.

"To control them. The promise of power can persuade many." Mayor Poll said.

"But if they can beat Gorgos, wouldn't they just rebel?" Dobsonfly Beastman asked.

"When Gorgos was originally summoned, he was not at his full power. We know that, while the creature killed Gorgos, Gorgos also fatally wounded the creature. So if he was brought forth at full power, he would be strong enough to defeat the creatures." she said.

"This all just sounds like a liability and a waste of time." Dobsonfly Beastman said, biting down on his mint.

"Perhaps you just have too small of a mind." she responded. Dobsonfly Beastman smirked.

"What about The Moon? Quilla, wasn't it? Wasn't he revived when Gorgos died?" Dobsonfly Beastman asked.

"We struck a deal with some rather upset Amazonians to keep him under control. His vessel slighted them in the past, so they were quite easy to persuade to prevent his revival." Mayor Poll said.

"Ah. Good stuff." Dobsonfly Beastman finished crunching on his mint and swallowing the pieces. "So now that just leaves Alpha, Sigma, and the traitorous Mole Beastman."

"I assume you want to handle it?" Mayor Poll asked.

"Now, whatever gave you that idea?" he responded, flashing a sinister grin.

Eric was sitting on the couch, Kat snuggled up against him with a blanket over her. They were watching the television, watching a show Kat wanted to watch called Face Off. Eric didn't enjoy it very much, but its what she wanted to watch, and as long as she was happy, he'd watch it. That was more or less Eric's philosophy while dating Kat; as long as she was happy, he'd do anything for her. Eric gently kissed Kat's head and wrapped his arm around her waist. Kat responded by adjusting herself, snuggling under his arm and resting her head on his chest. Eric was happy.

And then there was a loud sound like shattering glass. Eric and Kat looked over towards the sound and Eric quickly got up to check it out. He left the living room and walked around the staircase and into the dining room. Despite the loud noise, Eric didn't see anything out of order and couldn't even find any broken glass.

"Eric!" Kat screamed. Eric rushed back into the living room to see Kat being held off the ground by Masked Rider Amazon Omega. It held her by the back of her neck, and she hung limp, staring into Eric's eyes. "What have you done?" she said softly. Omega's mouth opened, revealing it's sharp, shark-like teeth, and it suddenly bit down on Kat, where her neck and shoulder meet, and an unrealistic amount of blood began to gush out of her wound.

Eric screamed, but suddenly found himself in his bed. After a few moments, he realized he was only dreaming. However, he started to break down, throwing himself backwards in his bed while covering his face with his fists. After a few minutes, Eric started to calm down and lowered his hands, looking around to see that he was alone in the room.

"Maybe being alone is for the best." Eric said, rolling over to face the wall. "Then I can't hurt them." Eric curled up into a ball, letting his mind go blank. This was the only way he was able to obtain any sort of peace and not feel tormented by the specter of his guilt.

Unable to fall asleep, Eric rolled over and something caught his eye. A glint of light sparkled on his desk from the light seeping in from under his door. Eric got out of bed to investigate and found a pair of scissors. Eric returned to his bed and examined the scissors. They had black, plastic handles and the blades were about five inches long. Eric opened and closed them a few times and then ran his thumb down the blade of the scissors, cutting his thumb in the process. While not particularly painful or deep, it was enough to draw blood. Eric simply stared at his thumb, the blood slowly trickling down.

"I wasn't even trying to cut myself." Eric said softly before putting his thumb in his mouth to suck up the blood. Despite being calm on the exterior, Eric's emotions were racing. He couldn't help but think about Kat and the horrible sin he committed against her. Even remembering his promise to his parents about defeating Geddon, Eric's guilt about Kat overrode his oath. His hands were trembling as he held the scissors, his eyes focused like a laser on the blade. His tongue brushed the wound on his thumb, only to find that it was already healed.

As if possessed by The Devil himself, Eric grabbed the scissors with his right hand, rolled over his left arm, and started to carve away at his flesh. Each cut was wild and random, clearly giving no care about where major arteries or veins were placed. None of this mattered to Eric. Blood splashed against the wall and drenched his bed as he started to tear away at the muscle, his cuts landing faster then he could regenerate. As he started to go deeper, the whimpers coming from Eric evolved into sobs, tears accompanying the melancholy symphony. After several more swipes, Eric hit the bone, causing him to finally screamed in pain. He dropped the scissors and quickly grabbed his left arm with his right hand, blood seeping through his fingers and dripping off the side of his arm onto his bed. Eric's sobs became loud and heavy as he broke down in despair.

A few moments later, Heather came barreling into Eric's room, flipping on the light switch and gasping in horror at the sight before her. Where Eric sat, the surrounding area had become painted red with a coat of blood, as if she were looking at a scene from some slasher horror movie. The scissors caught her eye and, in a single motion, she rushed over, grabbed the scissors, and threw them behind her; the scissors flying outside of Eric's room and down the flight of stairs.

"Eric! Eric, stop!" Heather screamed, grabbing his arm and applying as much pressure as possible to his arm. Mamoru had stepped out, otherwise she would have been calling for him to come and help.

After a few moments, Heather gained her composer and realized that there was no loss of color in Eric's skin, nor did he seem to have less energy. Heather slowly removed Eric's right hand to discover that the wounds on his left arm had already healed. Though, there were countless, hideous scars drawn all over his arm. Like some amateur artist just swung their brush at a canvas, without any actual image in mind. Heather ran her fingers over the scars, each one her fingers brush filling her with more and more sadness.

"Why?" Heather asked through her tears. Eric had stopped crying and looked at Heather, a blank look on his face.

"I haven't been punished." he replied in a robotic monotone. "No one has punished me for what I did to Kat." Eric's eyes narrowed, but also remained lifeless, as if he had lost the will to live. Heather looked up at him, her eyes glossed over from the tears.

"Why would you need to be?" she responded. "That wasn't you. You weren't in control."

"Does a drunk driver get off with killing someone while driving home? They weren't in control, right?" Eric said, not moving or shifting his eyes. Blood had washed into his hair, a single drop falling from the end of his bangs.

"This is different." Heather said, trying to reassure him.

"It's not." Eric said without missing a beat. "Nothing I do can make up for what I did. It's unforgivable."

"Then try to move on!" Heather yelled. "What, are you just going to go through life not doing anything anymore!? Just waiting to die!?" Heather's eyes were filled with grief, but also burning with anger. She couldn't stand to see Eric like this, but also wanted to punch him in the face to try and snap him out of it.

Eric's head shifted slightly to the right, as if his neck gave out, but his gaze did not shift at all. "Everyone would be better off if I was dead." Eric said, his voice simultaneously stern yet hollow. "I don't ever deserve to be happy again."

"No." Heather murmured. "We wouldn't. The world wouldn't." Eric slowly leaned himself back into his bed, like some sort of wind-up toy that had finished its cycle. Heather held onto his hand and cried, waiting for Eric to finally close his eyes and fall asleep before climbing into bed with him and curling up beside him.

It had gotten to be around 11:00 pm when Mamoru shook Heather awake. When Heather rolled over to see Mamoru, she noticed his eyes were wide with horror. It was only then that Heather remembered that they didn't clean Eric's sheets or wall, a heavy smell of iron hanging in the air. Heather looked over at Eric, who was still sleeping and hadn't seemed to notice Mamoru coming in. Heather slowly got out of the bed and walked with Mamoru over to the door, quietly closing the door, but leaving a crack open so they could see in.

"What happened, Heather-san?" Mamoru asked in a quiet voice. Heather looked into Mamoru's eyes and noticed the concern in them. She hadn't noticed that he was holding the bloody scissors.

"Eric hurt himself. He thinks he should die to make up for what happened with Kat." Heather said softly, holding back her emotions.

"How can we snap him out of it?" Mamoru asked.

"I don't know." Heather said. "I don't know what Eric and Kat's relationship was like. He is convinced that she would want him to die." tears started to stream down Heather's face. "I don't think that is true. If she loved him, I don't think she would want him to suffer."

"I agree." Mamoru said. "Do you know of a place where we could find out their past?" Mamoru asked.

"I haven't a clue." Heather responded. Mamoru was fiddling with his phone. He was clearly texting someone and put his phone face down on his lap when he was done.

"Did you try calling Sigma?" Mamoru asked.

"Yeah. He can't help us." Heather said.

"Not to change the subject, but that reminds me. Gavin-sama texted me earlier. The people affected by the Mushroom Beastman have begun waking up and appear to be okay." Mamoru explained, a slight sound of positivity in his voice.

"That is great to hear." Heather said. Despite being honestly relieved by this news, Heather was exhausted. The stress of Eric hurting himself and the fact that Geddon was still out there just worried Heather immensely. Suddenly, Mamoru's phone vibrated in his lap, startling both of them. Mamoru looked at his phone and read the text message he got.

"Gavin-sama says that Eric went to St. Mary's church with Kat. They were both well known there for working at the food pantry." Mamoru said. Heather took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"I'm going to go to St. Mary's in the morning. Do you mind watching Eric when I go?" Heather asked.

"Not at all." Mamoru said, resting his right hand on Heather's shoulder. "You get some sleep. I'll see you when you get back."

Mamoru went into Eric's room and quietly shut the door. Heather went downstairs and laid down on the couch, quickly falling into a dreamless slumber.

Heather awoke around 8:00 am. While the sun was rising, the large amount of tall trees made it feel like it was still much earlier in the day. Heather quickly sat up and stretched her arms while yawning. She was about to walk straight out of the door without changing, but noticed that there was a bloodstain on her shirt. She quickly changed into a grey tank top and grabbed a red flannel shirt, since it was still a bit brisk outside. She quickly put on her motorcycle helmet and drove off to St. Mary's, hoping it was open this early. To her surprised, when Heather pulled up, she saw a priest sweeping away leaves from the sidewalk going up to the church.

"Excuse me." Heather said, pulling up to the priest and turning off her motorcycle. "I was wondering if you knew a couple of love birds by the names of Eric and Kat?" The priest looked up and gave Heather the warmest smile she had ever seen.

"Of course I know Eric and Kat. Such a tragedy what happened to her." he said in a melancholy tone. "Why do you ask?"

"I ask for Eric's sake." Heather said, getting off of her motorcycle and placing her helmet on the seat. "Eric is in a deep depression because of her death and I fear he will never move past it." Heather explained. The priest's face became stern.

"Are you trying to help him move past it for your own gain?" he asked.

"No, not at all." Heather responded defensively. "Eric has been bedridden since yesterday afternoon, wallowing in his despair. He has even hurt himself." Heather explained somberly.

"I see." the priest said, a worried tone in his voice. "Are you hoping to find something about their past that would help him rise from his despair?" he said, leaning the broom up against the fence surrounding the church.

"Yes. That is exactly it." Heather said.

"Well, first off of all, my name is Father Mike." the priest said, offering his hand. Heather shook his hand, noticing that he had a strong and firm handshake.

"My name is Heather." she said.

"I'm glad you are helping Eric, Heather. He is a good man and I hate to see him in such a state." Father Mike said, letting go of Heather's hand. "Why, he was just here yesterday asking for console on this very subject." he said, scratching his head.

"I don't know what to do in this situation." Heather said.

"I understand. Let me see." Father Mike said, sounding like he was pondering. "Eric had been part of our congregation since he was young. He was baptized here and had his first Eucharist here." Father Mike explained. He had started to walk towards a bench to sit down, Heather following quickly. "But, it was once he was in high school that he met Kat. I believe it was two years ago. Surprisingly, though, they hated each other at first." Father Mike chuckled to himself.

"I can't believe that with how he is now." Heather said, stunned.

"Yeah. The devote Catholic boy and the edgy Atheist." Father Mike was smiling, as if remembering a fond memory. "When Eric was going through Confirmation, I remember him asking me if it was okay to date someone who didn't believe in God. Even though he had complained about her before, I could tell that he liked her secretly. He was fond of strong women. And Kat argued with him all the time. It was probably the fact that she stood up to him that attracted him to her."

"So, what happened that caused them to date?" Heather asked.

"Well, they were both in a play together. And, as fate would have it, they were cast as the male and female lead and had to kiss at the end of the play. I remember Eric saying he was uncomfortable with it. But when it came time, there was some real passion coming from both of them when they kissed. They pulled back and both had stunned looks on their faces, as if they realized that they liked it. And, even though it wasn't scripted," Father Mike started getting excited, a smile crossing his face, "they kissed again! The other cast members were confused and they quickly had to make do with the situation."

"Sounds like they were both horn dogs." Heather said, chuckling softly.

"I was sure that, after the show, they would go at each other like rabbits. But, they actually tried to stay away from each other outside of the shows. They didn't go off script again, though. Eric did confided in me, however, that they actually met up in secret the day after opening night and 'practiced' kissing." Father Mike laughed.

"Do you think they had sex?" Heather asked.

"I don't think so. Eric was very devout in his faith. He actual said he wanted to run away because he was so tempted by Kat. But she actually respected his feelings and didn't make any attempts on Eric. It was really just that first week." Father Mike explained, leaning back on the bench and looking at the morning sky. "Then winter break happened and they were apart for about a month. When they came back, they sat down and talked it out. Apparently they both were madly in love with the other. And, to the shock of the entire school, they became a couple."

"How did they make it work? If they argued about faith all the time, wouldn't that be point of contention?" Heather asked.

"Well, it was my understanding that they just didn't talk about it. Once they got passed the other's views on religion, they realized they loved everything else about them. Eric never tried to force his faith onto her and she never chastised him for his faith. In fact, she was quite open to the idea of helping with the food pantry." Father Mike put his hands in his lap and stared down at the ground. "Eric would always talk to me about how in love and how happy he was with her. Kat was his world and I'm not surprised if she was his entire reason to live. I can't imagine how utterly destroyed he must feel right now." Father Mike said somberly.

"I know that feeling." Heather said, resting her hands on her knees. "Before I came here, I lost my parents and my friends. I was all-alone. When I saw Eric with Kat for the first time, I was so angry and jealous of him." Heather gripped her pants at the knees. "I thought, 'Why does he get to be so happy while I have to suffer?' and I hoped that he would lose her. And then he did!" Tears started to stream down Heather's face. "I didn't care at first. But seeing how much it hurt him, how much he is suffering. I can't help but think that I'm a monster. Just a cruel and wicked monster. How could he ever accept me as a friend?" Heather was sobbing as her own guilt began to weigh heavily on her soul. Father Mike rested his hand on her back and began to rub her back.

"I feel that the mark of a good person is recognizing when they are wrong." he said quietly. "And that they want to do good by the person they have wronged. I know it wasn't your fault that Kat died. But all you can do now is be by Eric's side and help him as much as you can." Father Mike was smiling warmly. "Are you a person of faith?" he asked. Heather silently shook her head back and forth. "Well, I will still pray for you and for Eric. Pray that you may both be healed from your tormented souls and be happy." he said. Heather and Father Mike sat on the bench for a few minutes, Heather letting her emotions poor forth while Father Mike consoled her. While looking for a way to save Eric's soul, Heather had found redemption for hers.

Heather returned to Eric's house and saw Mamoru sitting downstairs at the kitchen table.

"Why aren't you watching Eric?" she asked.

"Eric-san is taking a shower right now." Mamoru said, turning back at Heather. "I washed his sheets and put new ones on his bed. I also scrubbed his wall. I'm going to have him be down here. Maybe some TV would help him?" Mamoru smiled weakly. Heather nodded and looked at her phone. Someone had texted her while she was going home. She looked at her phone, confused by the message.

Have you ever heard of the Garanda Empire? - Sigma

"Hey, Mamoru. Have you ever heard of the Garanda Empire?" Heather asked, her eyes remaining plastered to her phone.

"No. Why?" Mamoru asked, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Heather replied back with 'No' and put her phone on the table in the living room with her stuff. She walked upstairs to the bathroom, checking to make sure Eric was okay. She could hear the shower running as she approached the door, placing her left hand on the doorknob and knocking softly with the right.

"Eric? Are you okay?" she asked softly. There was no response, so Heather opened the door to look inside. Eric must have been taking a hot shower, as there was a thin layer of steam in the room. "Eric? Are you okay?" Heather asked again, walking towards the curtain. There was no answer as she peeled back the curtain slowly to peer inside.

Eric was standing there, staring at the ground, facing away from the shower, unmoving. His eyes looked dim and lifeless as he stood like a statue. Without warning, Heather could feel herself beginning to cry and rushed into the shower, fully clothed, and wrapped her arms around Eric's shoulders from behind.

"I'm sorry." Heather said through her sobs. "I'm so sorry." Eric remained lifeless as Heather held him tightly, her sobs mixing with the water pouring from the showerhead.

"Have you heard of the ghost at the lake?"

"I don't know how I got here."

"Is Geddon working on another belt?"

"Rider...HENSHIN!"

Next time: Paráxena peripéteia Mamoru tou

"Kamen Rider...Mogura!"